Updated on Friday at 3:45pm
It seems that the rumor mill is at it again. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is now reporting that the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees are making progress in a deal that would bring right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray to Cincinnati.
#Reds making progress in pursuit of #Yankees’ Sonny Gray, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 18, 2019
Like several other rumors, this one has been around forever. Jon Heyman says that the Yankees have shown interest in two of the Cincinnati Reds Top 10 prospects.
In Sonny Gray talks, Yankees have shown interest in 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson from Reds, among others, who have a nice prospect list. A draft pick could also factor into a potential Sonny deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 18, 2019
Updated on Thursday at 5:35pm
It seems that perhaps the Cincinnati Reds are out on this one, according to Andy Martino of SNY.
Athletics and Padres are among the teams on Sonny Gray, per source. A’s are one to watch. Reds don’t seem in and according to Dave O’Brien Braves aren’t either. Could move soon
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 17, 2019
Original story below
For what seems to be the millionth time this offseason, there’s word that the New York Yankees are trying to aggressively move starting pitcher Sonny Gray. According to Jon Heyman, the Cincinnati Reds are still one of the teams in discussion for the right-handers services.
Yankees are working hard now on a trade for Sonny Gray. Appears to be getting more serious. Teams involved have included: reds, giants, brewers, a’s, padres, braves, mariners.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 17, 2019
This is a road that we’ve been down more than a few times here. The Yankees just signed Adam Ottavino to a 3-year, $27M deal. That move pushes Sonny Gray even further down the Yankees depth chart, and with the money owed and his relative lack of a role in New York, they seem to be doing all that they can to move him.
You can make the argument that he could help Cincinnati. If he pitches in Cincinnati like he did away from Yankee Stadium in 2018, that’s a huge help. If he goes back to the pitcher he has been in several past seasons, that would be a huge help, too. But there’s still reason for concern as his walk rate jumped up to a career worst in 2018 – and his ERA was 4.90.
He’s also, like two other members of the Reds rotation, only under team control for the 2019 season. That could leave the Reds with just two pitchers returning to their rotation for the 2020 season. On the surface that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If the team wins in 2019, they can figure out 2020 in the offseason.
The offseason hasn’t exactly been lackluster in Cincinnati. The Reds and Dodgers trade got everyone excited, and for good reason. But that’s been the only real move they’ve made, too. And we’re less than a month out from spring training. It appears that if this move is going to happen, after months of speculation, it could be happening soon. In the famous words of Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park: Hold onto your butts!